Rising costs, COVID-19 among Singaporeans’ top travel concerns: Klook survey

With travel restrictions easing, more people are looking to travel in the coming year. However, some are still worried about the looming economic uncertainty and lingering COVID-19 concerns while planning for an overseas trip.

Klook conducted a survey in November 2022, with a total of 902 respondents across nine markets including Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and Korea. 

Survey results showed that 730 respondents are still keen to go abroad in the upcoming year, with one-third intending to make at least two to four journeys.

The survey also found that even while approximately 721 respondents are concerned about travelling due to economic uncertainty, virtually all of them (92 per cent) are eager to do so, and one in three of them have already made vacation plans for 2023, which is the largest percentage in Asia.

Furthermore, more than 451 tourists in Asia are concerned about the rising costs of travel. Travellers from Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan were the most concerned about cost among the respondents. 

The survey showed that an estimated 721 respondents anticipate to spend the same amount or more on travel, suggesting that the urge to travel may be even stronger. Despite their concerns, Singaporeans are among the most eager to travel, with 40 per cent wanting to spend more on travel in 2023.

Surprisingly, travellers in Asia are not yet abandoning their trip plans, despite feeling uneasy about travelling in the face of an impending worldwide recession. 

While 34 per cent of Singaporeans are prepared to reduce other costs in order to save more money for travel, 35 per cent of them will choose a closer destination or go off-peak seasons. 

Moreover, Klook reported that in order to ease worries, half of travellers try to plan their route in advance to get the most out of their travels. 

In addition to the growing expense of travel, about 371 participants are still concerned about contracting COVID-19 while on vacation.

It was discovered that for those who are more concerned about their health and safety, 43 per cent will be sure to buy travel insurance, and 35 per cent would seek out less-crowded areas when travelling to reduce risk and exposure.

A theme of exploration and family-friendly activities was also observed to be widespread across Asia. For the best experiences in Asia, the usual places like museums, theme parks, and zoos & animal parks take the top spots. 

Additionally, the survey results show that there has been a significant increase in the demand for vehicle rentals and outdoor activities like walking tours and trekking, which indicates that tourists are venturing outside of major cities and experiencing rural areas.

According to Marcus Yong, Vice President of Global Marketing at Klook, travellers will continue to be resilient in 2023 despite all difficulties.

He said: “Although travel behaviour and attitudes have evolved in the past few years, we still see that travellers are ready to adapt and determined to travel no matter what it takes in search of the joys and rewards of travel.”